Gone to Italy
by NightShade Tears
Summary: She's dead, I thought over and over again. I could not tolerate this pain; I wouldn't tolerate it. I would join her soon... look for better summary inside. First fanfic, review please
1. Chapter 1

Gone to Italy

**A/N When Edward hears from Rosalie that Bella is dead; he goes to the Volturi to ask for his own death. Here is my own version of that event, and his thoughts while leaning against the wall in Volterra. First fanfic, review please.**

It was a sunny, noisy day in Rio de Janeiro; the usual. I was resting in the cool shade of a building, waiting for the night so I could keep on tracking her down. Not that I was all that good; this was more of a distraction, something I needed to do in order to forget my pain. But Bella was not something easy to forget. She had rocked my world so badly. Every single breath I took was for her, every step, every word was for her. Because I knew she was happy, and that gave me the strength not to go back right now, begging her to take me back. Maybe in a couple of weeks, after I hunted the only danger in this world I could protect her from (besides myself), Victoria. I snarled even at the thought of her. She would never touch my Bella…

My cell phone went off in my pocket. I sighed as I checked the ID.

"What do you want, Rose?" I said. My own voice surprised me; it sounded dead.

"Sheesh, where are your manners?" she answered. I took an impatient breath.

"Look, just tell me what you have to and then hang up," I told her, exasperated.

"I suppose Alice hasn't told you the news about Bella yet, has she?" she said in a bored tone.

My eyes widened in alarm. "What with Bella? Is she ok?" I said so quickly a human wouldn't have understood.

"Not quite, you see…" she hesitated, not knowing how to continue.

_This is bad_, I thought. "Rosalie, tell me what's wrong right now!" I growled into the phone.

"I guess she got a little too much pain, and has decided to end it," she answered slowly.

"I. Don't. Get it." I said, stunned. Ending it? Oh, no…

"She jumped off a cliff, Edward. Alice saw her and her whole future vanished. She's dead," Rosalie said in a low voice, almost mocking me. I snapped the cell phone shut. I didn't want to hear anything else.

I felt myself slowly sinking to the ground, until my knees rested on the hard ground.

_She's dead. She's dead_. I thought over and over. No, no, no! She couldn't have, could she? I had asked her not to, for Charlie….

Charlie. That was it. I would call Charlie, and if he said she was fine, I would go back and beg her to take me back; after killing Rosalie for pulling such a prank on me.

I dialed up the number and tried to recompose myself. Just until the call was over.

"Swan Residence," a husky, low voice answered. It was not someone I remembered, so I decided to play it safe.

"Hello. This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen. May I speak to Charlie, please?" I said in a near-perfect imitation of Carlisle's voice.

"He's not here," the voice answered. I cursed internally.

"Where is he?" I questioned.

"He's at the funeral," he answered coldly. The phone fell from my hand and clattered on the ground.

My heart, thought still and cold for nearly a century broke into pieces so little they could be passed through the eye of a needle. My Bella, my only reason to live was now gone. It was over.

Love, life, meaning. Over.

I had no more reason to live, to think, to breathe. I broke into helpless, tearless sobs.

_At the funeral_. I could picture my Bella in a coffin; cold, pale, hard, but still beautiful. I felt empty inside, like my heart had been torn away. I couldn't stand the pain; I wouldn't stand the pain. I slowly stood up and threw my cell phone in a garbage bin. Not that I would need it, anyways. The only voice I would ever want to hear was gone forever. No, not forever. Only until we found each other.

_Death cannot stop true love, it can only delay it a while_. I thought about this as I walked slowly, even by human standards, to the airport. The pain would be over soon.

"One ticket to Florence, please." I told the lady behind the counter. She nodded without looking at me, and typed something into the computer.

"One way or round trip?" she asked in a business-like voice.

"One way," I answered in a dull voice. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered now.

"Very well. For what date?"

"The sooner the better. If you can, for tonight," I told her. She bit her lip.

"I'm sorry sir, but the plane's full for tonaaahhh…" she said, glancing up at me for the first time. Her jaw dropped. I gave her a forced half-smile, releasing my eye power on her.

"Please, there must be something you can do?" I said with my best puppy-dog eyes. She hesitated.

"Umm, if somebody cancels, or doesn't show up, you can take the place sir," she said slowly. I smiled at her and winked as I thanked her. She handed me the ticket and I waited for the plane to arrive.

Luckily for me, a passenger cancelled last minute and I could take his place. I sat there in the plane, paying no attention to the movie they were projecting. Not that I cared. A nine hour flight was nothing to me. I closed my eyes and waited for it to end. All the while, Bella's face, Bella's wonderful, warm face smiled at me from behind my eyelids. She spoke to me, her voice still painfully clear even after all this months.

_Edward_, she said_, I'm waiting. Hurry. _

I smiled. _Patience, my love. I'll join you soon_, I thought.

_Hurry._

The plane gently bounced as it landed, and I hurried outside. I had nothing else but the clothes I was wearing, so I could skip customs and baggage-claim. It was still dark outside and, as soon as I was away from anyone's view, I ran. The way from Florence to Volterra was very short, and I could do it way faster than any car. I pushed myself faster than I had ever gone, the feeling of exhilaration mixed with the feeling of anxiousness. Hours went by, and the sun slowly appeared in the horizon. I reached the walls of the city, now adorned with red flags and red banners and lots of other red stuff.

Volterra's Saint Marcus's Festival


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks for you guys who review. You make my day! On with the story.**

I knew my way inside, so I walked into the clock tower in the middle of the plaza. It was really the castle where the Volturi lived. I headed inside and was greeted by a human lady.

"Good evening, and welcome to Volterra," she said warmly but also professionally detached. "What can I do for you today?"

"I need to speak to Aro." I said flatly. She glanced down at me from the desk she was sitting behind.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I do need to speak to him. Will you tell him?" I was starting to get impatient.

"I'm sorry, he doesn't receive anyone unannounced," she said, but a childish, high voice interrupted from behind.

"It's alright, Giana. He's not busy right now," the little voice said. It came from a small female figure, with a lovely face. Only her deep crimson eyes gave away what she really was. A vampire.

"My name is Jane. I heard you needed to speak to Aro, correct?" she said almost giggling.

"Correct," I answered, keeping my voice calm. It wasn't that hard, considering how empty I felt inside. Jane nodded and motioned me to follow. I walked after her and we came to the inside of a tower. There were three thrones of black stone, one of them occupied by a pale man. I recognized him immediately. Aro Volturi.

"Master, we have a guest," little Jane said. Aro lifted his head and smiled at her. He dismissed the other vampire he was speaking to and glided to our side. He kissed both Jane's cheeks before dismissing her. Soon we were the only ones in the room.

"Hello, be most welcome to Volterra. Are you here for business or pleasure?" he asked me in a light, merry voice.

"Business. Very important business." I said.

_Hmmm. Wonder what the business is? _He thought.

"Personal matters, master Aro." I answered his mental question. He cocked his head to the side, curiously.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked me. I shook my head slightly.

"But I believe you know my father. Carlisle Cullen," I said. Aro beamed and laughed.

"No way! You're Carlisle's kid? Haha! This is a most wonderful surprise!" he said. I gave him a half-smile. His excitement was childish.

"What can I do for you, my young friend?" he said, inviting me to sit down. I remained standing.

"I would like to ask you a favor. A very important favor," I said.

"And what favor can we do for you?" another voice asked from behind us. I turned.

Two hooded figures were gliding towards me. They removed their hoods. One of them had pitch-black hair; the other had snow white that matched his pale skin. Caius and Marcus.

"Well?" Marcus said impatiently. I bit my lip and looked down. Was I really that brave to tell them? To say it out loud?

Aro extended his hand gently, and I recoiled from it. He laughed again.

"My young boy, I mean no harm. Caius, would you explain?"

"Aro is a mind reader, my boy. But he requires physical contact. If you wish not to express your feelings out loud, tell him through this" he said, tapping his temple slightly. I chuckled once humorlessly.

_What's so funny?_ Marcus thought.

"I'm a mind reader too." I stated coolly, matter-of-fact.

Aro looked at me. "Seriously?"

I nodded once. _Prove it,_ he thought.

"Prove what?" I said innocently. He began laughing yet again.

"Oh, my. This is wonderful! Really, really wonderful!" Aro beamed. Marcus went to his side and touched his hand briefly. Aro scowled.

"Of course he will! My dear boy, what's your name again?"

"Edward." I answered curtly. We had strayed well away from the topic.

"Ah, Edward. I consider your talent would be very much valuable for us! Although I know you're happy with Carlisle's little bizarre way of life, would you consider joining us?"

"I'll consider it," I promised bleakly.

"Ah, good. Now, I believe there was something else you wanted?" Marcus said. I took a deep, unnecessary breath and reached out for Aro's hand. He bent his head in concentration as he reviewed my whole life, my thoughts; some things I couldn't even remember from my past life, some I did and didn't want to see ever again. And then, there was Bella. My gorgeous Bella, forever immortalized in my memory. I let my feelings for her be unleashed, and, for a few minutes, I forgot where I was.

Aro pulled his hand back then, and I slowly came out of the shock of seeing my thoughts, my life, over again. _Just like when you're dying_, I had heard people say. Who would want to see the life of a monster?

Aro sat back, unsmiling. I could see from his face he was amazed.

"My dear boy, you really felt that for the human?" he asked me.

"Bella," I corrected him. "But yes, Master Aro, I do feel that for her. Which is really why I came here," I said. I could feel a slight change in the atmosphere. There was tension. I took one very deep breath, and then muttered, "Kill me."

Two words. Two simple, easy to pronounce words. The three vampires stared at me, disbelieving.

"Why would we?" Marcus said.

"Masters, my Bella was my sole reason to live. Now that she's gone, nothing else matters. I do not want to spend the rest of my existence like I have; moping around and doing nothing profitable. I do not want to see her every time I close my eyes and know that she won't really be there. Please, masters. It will take you no time, and I would be in debt forever," I said. It was strangely easy to talk to them. They looked at each other.

"We'll debate about this request of you, my boy. Please, wait for us outside." Caius said, motioning to the door. I obediently walked to it and closed it behind me. I decided to spy on them, just to know.

_We can't kill him_, said one of them. My mind reading was rusty from all the months I hadn't really used it.

_Aro, you saw her in his mind. This is a relationship even I had never seen, and you know I see lots._

_But think of what our friend Carlisle would think. I won't offend him._

_I believe he would understand._

_No. Definitely not._ I heard a low growl, but then the other quiet voice spoke up.

_**He promised to consider joining the guard, didn't he?**_ They must've nodded.

_**He can always join us. That way, he will forget this human girl and help us instead.**_

It was enough. I ran outside and paced around angrily. So, they wouldn't kill me as a favor, they would kill me as a must.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Sorry for the long wait, I've been studying for finals. Thanks to you, my wonderful reviewers!! On with the story.**

I knew Volterra was famous for its safety; against vampires anyways. That gave me an idea. _Expose your true nature_, a voice chanted in my head. I knew the little voice was right. Exposing ourselves was the one thing prohibited by them, and the thing that guaranteed an immediate response. But how would I?

I could go around lifting cars. But then I remembered a guy got into the Ripley Book doing that, and he was human. No, that would be too easy.

I could hunt inside the city. My mouth began to water as I imagined it. I hadn't hunted for weeks now, and the city had more then enough humans to spare. But then I thought of Carlisle, and the centuries he'd spent learning to control himself; teaching me, the rebellious son, how to control myself. I also thought of those years when I did hunt for humans. How my eyes sparkled red and fierce when I saw blood, the fear in the eyes of the humans I had killed, the feel of their blood in my hands. No. I would have no more innocent blood in my hands. But there was still something else.

I could just walk into the sun. No human that saw it would stay quiet. Newspapers, TV companies, radio; all would be dying to see the mystery behind the sparkling ones. The Volturi would never permit that. That was what I would do.

The clock in the tower tolled eight o'clock, and people began spreading into the plaza, greeting each other and congratulating each other and joking among themselves. The festival began with the last, loud toll of the bell. People cheered.

I darted to the cool shadow beneath the tower and leaned against the wall. Only five hours till the sun was highest and strongest above me. Only five hours away from seeing her. Only five hours that would seem like nothing to me. I closed my eyes. Instantly, Bella's lovely face came to meet me. I smiled, both internally and externally. I was such a masochist, I loved to see that face even though it hurt to the point I couldn't think. I didn't want to think, I just enjoyed her face. Every single detail of her face was clear for my memory.

I don't know for how long I was immobile, just watching Bella's face in my mind. Her mouth formed the word _Hurry_, and the vision shattered. Behind it, only the blackness of my closed eyes, interrupted by a line of reddish light that filtered through them. I heard a family of four coming my way. Well, might as well finish with it now, I thought.

I ripped the front of my shirt loudly, allowing the rest of the fabric fall to the ground. That caught the attention of the littlest girl, and she turned to her mom. She tugged on her skirt and pointed to where I was. The clock tower tolled again.

12… "Edward!" I heard. It couldn't be her…

11… she was dead.

10… and I would join her soon.

9… and I would explain it to her.

8… I smiled internally as I counted down.

7…a new smell hit my nose. Lavender?

6…I could hear somebody saying my name over and over. It could be anyone.

5… "Edward, no!" I heard under the roar of the chime. It couldn't possibly be her.

4…unless I was hallucinating. Whatever. I took a long stride towards the sun.

"No! Edward, look at me!" her voice said. Tortured as it sounded, it was still the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. I smiled slightly as I took my final step.

Something slammed against me. I caught her; the feeling of saving her from herself was strong and fresh. I opened my eyes slowly.

3… Bella was in my hands again, my heart repaired in that instant. "Amazing," I said, wondering. "Carlisle was right." So I still had a soul. How funny.

2…"Edward," she gasped through her full, lovely lips. "You've got to get back into the shadows. You have to move!" Move? Why should I move if I was perfectly comfortable here?

Bella's cheeks were blushed, but I could also smell the adrenaline coming out of her. I brushed a trickle of sweat away from her cheek. She tried to push me back, but I found it lovely. I didn't move.

It was very strange, for I knew we were both dead. Still, in that instant, I felt _alive_. Human. I could feel my heart repairing itself, Bella's presence making it all fine. I slowly inhaled the floral scent coming off her skin. It was like we had never been separated. I was perfect –not reunited, but as if we had never been apart a second in the first place.

"I can't believe how quick it was. I didn't feel a thing –they're very good," I said mostly to myself. I closed my eyes and kissed her hair. I quoted Shakespeare, for it was all I could think about besides Bella. "_Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty,_" I murmured the line of Romeo in the tomb. It seemed correct.

1… "you smell just exactly the same as always," I noticed. "So maybe this is hell. I don't care, I'll take it." And I would. As far as she was with me, I didn't care where I was.

"I'm not dead," she said just as I was going to apologize to her. "And neither are you! Please Edward, we have to move. They can't be far away!" she said in an urgent tone.

I frowned. "What was that?" I asked her, not knowing if I had heard correctly. We're not dead? Then how…

"We're not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi–"

In that second, I understood. She was in danger, because of me. I heard them coming, and put myself between them and Bella. She would not be harmed, no matter what I had to do…

**A/N So, you know the rest of the story. It will be very appreciated if you review. **


	4. Chapter 4

A/N

A/N

Okay, everybody, I'm officially declaring this story finished unless you want me to write some more…. I added a new poll, be sure to vote if you want me to keep on Writing. Also, due to finals, don't expect too much from me in a while.

That's all from me for now. Bye!!


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